The Songs In Your Head Are Now On My Mind

All right, friends.  I am going to write every day this week, using the "guidelines" I set up in my last post.  I even made up fancy little headers, in case this becomes a habit.  I'm hoping it will, since writing with a prompt seems much easier than just spewing out all of the nonsense in my brain.  Of course, that's what I have been doing for the past five years {for which you are very welcome}.   I'll try not to be too long-winded, since I want to finish a very good book tonight and it's already midnight.  So here is the very first edition of:

I have several thoughts to share, but I think it only fitting that I should start with my favorite band in the world, U2.  Since one of my goals this year is to turn my sister-in-law into a U2 fan {just you wait, Lexy, it WILL happen!}, this is a good place to start.  This is a picture of the band in their very early days {circa 1980}.

{all photos courtesy of U2.com}

This is one from The Joshua Tree, one of their finest and most highly-acclaimed albums {including "Where The Streets Have No Name," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and "With or Without You"}.  Personally, I think this era was where they all looked their best.  This picture is from 1987.  Mmmm.

{L-R: Edge, Bono, Adam, and Larry}

Here's one from "Achtung Baby," my favorite album {circa 1991}

Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.  I think everyone agrees that "Pop" was one of their low-points.  Exhibit A {around 1997}:

They haven't aged very gracefully, but as incredible as their music was in the 80's, I believe it has gotten better.  This is a picture from "All That You Can't Leave Behind," one of my favorite albums {circa 2000}.

And this is from around 2009, in conjunction with their last album, "No Line On The Horizon."

My point in posting all of these pictures is this: they are still together.  They formed in 1978 as teenagers in Ireland, and 35 years later, with all of them in their 50's, they are still together.  They have all grown up together, making their lives together, forging a brotherhood.  It's more than a band, it's a family.  There have been many times where they came close to breaking up, and there have been plenty of fights and yelling, etc.  There have been a few solo projects here and there, but they always come back to the group: it's where they want to be.  The whole is much stronger than the individual, and it's one of my favorite things about these men.  They know they can't do it alone, so they rely on each other to do what they do best--create incredible music.

I think we can all learn a lesson from a band who wouldn't give up.  For a short biography, please read here.

P.S.  At the risk of sounding too preachy, I would like to include this in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, whose birthday and legacy were celebrated today:

"Sleep, sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realised.
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain, rain down on he.
So let it be.
So let it be."

{MLK, from the album "The Unforgettable Fire" by U2 (1984)}